Tips For Better Gas Mileage

Much like you, I spend far too much of my life cringing at the thought of filling my gas tank. Though I can't change the prices themselves, I can (and have!) come up with ways to increase my mileage while decreasing the amount of miles I have to drive. In the articles on this site, I share a few tips and tricks that can go a long way in lessening the impact the fuel pump has on your wallet. I hope you can use the knowledge within to save at least some bit of personal sanity.

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With the gasoline crossing the $100 per barrel and the dependence on the Gulf for the nations fuel needs, a need for restructure in the conventional gasoline engine was imminent.

President Bush and Detroit’s automobile manufacturers are positive on using E85 ethanol fuel. According to the sources, E85 ethanol fuel will put the United States on the road to fuel economy and energy independence.

These days, there is increase in the models that can run on this E85 ethanol fuel. These include cars, SUVs, minivans, and pickup trucks. The leader is General Motors with a dozen E85 ethanol capable vehicle models. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, and Nissan are following General Motors and are producing better models having the E85 ethanol capable engines. In 2007, 27 different models are E85 ethanol-capable. That’s triple the number available in the year 2000, and 7 more models than from the year 2006.

Regardless of make, model, or engine all these vehicles can still run on conventional gasoline or the E85-ethanol blend with no modification and no difference in performance. This flexibility has given the vehicles a new nickname, the flex-fuel vehicles. E85 ethanol fuel costs approximately the same per gallon as conventional 87-octane gasoline. Also, there are no extra charges for E85-ethanol capability. But, the benefits of using E85 ethanol are nullified at present by reduced fuel economy and a scarcity of E85 ethanol fueling stations. At present, these E85 ethanol-capable vehicles mostly comprises of only trucks and SUVs, although there are a few rental shops who are starting to convert their automobiles.

Ethanol is derived from plant material, corn mostly. E85 is a blend of combustible motor-vehicle fuel containing 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent conventional unleaded gasoline. Ethanol is touted as a renewable energy source that has the potential to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil, especially fuel imported from the Gulf where the United States has very little political control to keep the prices down for long. Also, since the raw materials for E85 ethanol capable fuel come mostly from U.S. farms and are distilled in U.S. refineries, the fuel is completely national in origin, saving precious foreign exchange, and gives 100 percent control of its production in the US hands. This also reduces the present-time stress on the United State’s trade balance and reduces the tax dollar.

American automobile manufacturers have adopted the E85 ethanol under the comprehensive energy conservation and independence plan. Already having built several million E85 ethanol flex-fuel vehicles over the last decade, GM, Ford, and the Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep group say they plan to put a combined total of 2 million more on the road each year, starting in 2007. Their top executives have lobbied for increased government support of ethanol production. And the companies fund campaigns to promote the use of E85 ethanol and the installation of more E85 ethanol pumps at gas stations.

With several million E85 ethanol flex-fuel vehicles built over the last decade, GM, Ford, Chrysler, Dodge, and the Jeep group are now planning to produce more than 2 million E85 ethanol capable vehicles each year, starting in 2007. There are plans for more E85 ethanol pumps at the existing and proposed gas stations all over the country.

It is now to be seen how the automobile companies are going to overcome the known and unknown harmful air pollution effects of E85 ethanol, and how a sustained growth of the ethanol rich crop is produced. But, to credit the technological advances and the need to find a suitable energy source, these limitations will be overcome over the next few years.